ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresOut of the Blue Update
I know people who meet and have no doubts and have perfect relationships and perfect children who go to perfect universities and who go on to perfect jobs and buy perfect houses and drive perfect sports cars

They make love the perfect number of times per... and its always perfect...

They all have one thing in common - they are self delusionists who try to delude me too...

Then they have a couple of beers and it all comes out - they made love once last year - on his birthday - and then he tries to hit it off with a 16 year old glass collector in the pub

So I know about perfect relationships...

We have a stormy unstable relationship but it goes on and on and we always get back together again and don't want anyone else

Takes all kinds to make a world so you stormies out there - at least you are living in the real world

and to you perfects - who do you think you are kidding anyway - I bet there is lots of unsaid unfulfillments underneath all that smoochy perfection and one day it will come out and bite you in one big bite rather than our little nibbles !

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-03-13 06:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhere do we start

I live in the UK, i recently got engaged to my fiance who lives in the US. We have looked on the INTERNET and have read up on k1 and k3 visas.... but we are unsure if its best to get an attorney or do it ourselves. Also is it best for us to file for a k1 visa, or for us to marry wen i go back out there in August and file for a K3 visa....

Can anyone point us in the right direction because we are completely baffled, we have talked to different attorneys who fees range from $465 to $1200.


Try taking a look at the Guides (above) and click on the Which Visa Do We Need - there's a list of Pros and Cons with each.

Attorney or not is up to you - most here do it themselves - but it really depends on if you have complications in your case - like visa overstays, or criminal issues or children from previous marriages etc... Just be careful (if you do choose an attorney) who you choose - the lowest fee is not the thing to look for, nor should you be fooled by anyone who guarantees you a visa..

I agree that if it is a straightforward case then you can do it yourself... our petitions worked faster when we did it ourselves - you need to know a few tricks of the trade like the photos have to be US size (cost us £30 !)- and make sure you use the latest forms downloaded from USCIS only ! (a4 size is fine) - and have US dollar checks available - but even if you have an attorney I guarantee you will spend a lot of time on VJ - so yes follow the guides on here and you will see that a lot of it is repetitive and you can figure it out....
So long as you don't have a criminal record or overstays then you will be ok but read the forms and read the guide to the form if there is one......alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-05-08 10:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures5 or 6 years for K1 VISA??!!!
The fiance isn't Mr Oscar BinLid from tora bora is it ? I knew there was more to this...

no wonder it was RFE...all that time ? the fiance has probably got married and divorced a couple of times SINCE this started

Got to be a wind up - even my one legged postman is quicker than this

Edited by saywhat, 07 August 2007 - 03:39 PM.

Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-08-07 15:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresApproved I-130 Recieved says my beneficiary is in the US!!!!!

Alan, Alan, Alan,

Did you read what I typed?

Let's think of it this way..........
Ask yourself why they would send your approved I-130 petition to the NRC and not forward it the embassy. All the testimonials we've seen so far suggest the USCIS is assuming, based on a previously approved I-129F (k-3) petition, the beneficiary ( who again is assumable in the US on the k-3)will Adjust Status in the US and therefor are retaining the petitions. You however, did not file for a k-3 and therefor do not have a previously approved I-F petition to confuse the USCIS. Since your wife can not be in the US until her CR-1 is approved, where else would it be adjudicated if not in the UK?
When I completed my husbands I-130 I did not indicate the embassy on line 22 that would process our petition. Upon its approval at the USCIS, it was forwarded to the NVC and they made the determination as to which consulate would handle the interview, assumable based on my husband's address in Canada.
I'm stressing the point of it being unnecessary for you to send a letter to the USCIS because I'd hate to see your sending the letter cause any confusion at that level( they're confused enough already) and lead to delays.
I truly hope I'm making enough sense for you to understand what I'm trying to tell you so you can breathe a bit more easily.


Yes I can see what you are saying - if I mail them, they might assume it is a response to an email from them asking whether to send it to NRC and that I am trying to get away with not paying the $200 and filing the form...

Yes that would be a shame to throw that spanner (wrench) in the works...

So hopefully they won't do the NRC thing if they cant find a I-129 K3 application - and I can relax... (a bit)

well anyway, for a while until somebody with just an I-130 says the USCIS pulled the NRC thing on them !

thanks for your assistance - I do feel a bit better about it...

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-14 16:19:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresApproved I-130 Recieved says my beneficiary is in the US!!!!!
jeepers the fright goes on - last week i submitted the I-130 which says Expires 11/30/07 at the top and at the bottom 12/4/06 which i reckon is the issue date - i got the form from the USCIS website a few days earlier.

Now , as you say, there is a new version with 1/5/07 at the bottom (issue date) but the same expiry date at the top '11/30/07'

Looking on the USCIS website it does say 'prior versions are acceptable' so I guess I am ok with the older form (one week older !)



but it's a fright a day at the moment and new regulations coming out all the time - good job I am retired and can make this my full time occupation - I really feel for the majority of people who were not involved in admin as their occupation and who have to try and fit all this into their busy lives

As soon as I get my I-130 NOA 1 reference number, I will write to them with a copy of the NOA 1, and keep it short and get the message home that we are in the UK and want the petition to be forwarded to the NVC and then London for the visa issuance..

I know the chances of them attaching the letter to the file and then reading it before sending the eventual approved petition to the USCIS store are tiny - but it will only cost me a stamp and make me feel better... bit like buying a premium bond

alan

Edited by saywhat, 14 January 2007 - 06:24 AM.

Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-14 06:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresApproved I-130 Recieved says my beneficiary is in the US!!!!!

Seems to me that wont be necessary. You petitioned for a CR-1 not a k-3 so there's no reason for the USCIS to assume your wife will AOS in the US and therefor retain your petition. Considering you did not direct them as to what embassy you would like to handle your file , I think the NVC will make that determination and forward it accordingly.


Thanks for that reassurance... I keep thinking I have it all understood then I hit a new scare ! I guess the form hasnt really get up with the new requirement - and I agree that it will be better for everyone in the long run if it cuts down work...

They just need a new question on the I-130 which says

- 'does the beneficiary intend to adjust status in the USA or apply for an immigrant visa in the beneficiaries country of residence ' it would save cutting down a lot of trees and a lot of wasted time and money.

civil servants eh ?
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-13 14:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresApproved I-130 Recieved says my beneficiary is in the US!!!!!

I remember when first coming to this site, I read never leave anything blank or write N/A. On my petition I wrote never been here or always something to indicate a definitive answer. With the changes that are taking place one should really be aware to do this. My other comment is this. I only filed the I-130. I did not follow-up with the I-129F. Just felt the extra time at NVC was worth any delay in exchange for being done with the process and not dealing with the possibility of any mishaps on my part or theirs. My choice and so far has worked out fine. I guess my point is we sit here and complain about the waits, the mistakes and all that goes on in the process. Yet we continue to play the game. To cut the time down we file two petitions, doubling the work for USCIS. As they strive to become more efficient, not defending or saying they are, it seems it is catching up with the dual petition scenario. I guess maybe one should decide on either the K-3 or Cr-1 if married, not both. Maybe the approval time would decrease with less petitions. Maybe not. It seems we may victims of our own choices here.

Now Andrea, I hope to God this all works out for you. I wish I could give you some advice but really do not know what you can do but am sure somebody here has been through it as well. Good luck.


I have never seen that advice 'never leave a blank or n/a' but by golly it sounds so right...

As soon as we get NOA1, I could write to them and ask them to take into account that neither of us will be in the USA at any stage before the visa is issued and the petition should be automatically forwarded to NVC on approval ..


anyone think there is the slightest chance that they will take any notice and attach it to the file ?

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-13 12:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresApproved I-130 Recieved says my beneficiary is in the US!!!!!
Oh jeez - just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I came across all this stuff !

the last to hear eh ?

Well I left question 22 on the 130 totally blank as it said

'22. Complete the information below if your relative is in the United States and will apply for adjustment of status.'


as we are both in the UK, I thought that was best

I know the UK consulate wont take DCF for us as we have been here only since October 2006

Are we likely to be asked to file this form and pay this fee ? We just filed the 130 thats all... no k3


more delays and expense ?

how confusing !

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-13 11:19:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR1 Petition
Having gone through k1 - AOS system with all the hoo-Haar and waiting and uncertainty and fingerprint sessions - and nerve wracking stuff, I wouldn't even consider doing k3 and aos


i am doing cr-1 and i ain't going nowhere near the USA until i get my mits on an immigrant visa and even then i am not going until my second wedding anniversary !


then all i have to worry about is whether the mailman loses my green card or they send a conditional one by mistake, or one with the wrong name on (I remember someone answering a question 'N/A' and they got a green card showing their nationality as 'Netherlands Antilles' !!!!!

So if you can arrange to have the minimum to do with this system then that is the way to go....
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-11 10:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresChanges in I-130, "evidence that bona fides your marriage"
Yes this one puzzled me too as we dont want to mix our finances together - it isn't essential for a bona fide marriage these days.

Similarly there is no point putting my house in joint names when we will be selling it soon and going to the US hopefully...


So all I did was to emphasise that we both shared the same address here in the UK with our bank statements (individual) and correspondence to each of us from credit cards etc

actually i did send em a joint bank account - it has 10 quid in it !

but to open that account isnt easy and proves she is in the UK in person with the right residency documents to open a bank account

so we are relying on the 'other information' only...

hope they dont want proof of consumation as sending a video of that through the mail might invoke 'moral turpitude' on the visa application...

It gets dafter..

alan

Edited by saywhat, 13 January 2007 - 12:44 PM.

Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-13 12:41:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresShould have been CR-1, but got an IR-1
When I turn up at the POE clutching my full immigrant visa, should I point out to the Officer that we have been married 2 years and one day and we would expect the ir-1 unconditional green card and can he put a note on the file- or can't he put notes on it ? ie is it up to the hormones/hangover of the person who eventually issues the green card as to the period of the card (and what permutations of the name they use) ?

My last name is 4 letters long and a very common one (4 people in my university class had the same name), and with no alternative way to spell it - they still got it wrong when I entered with K1 and caused a SS card issuance problem....
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-13 10:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTo go to the interview or not go?
But if it is ok to be there, don't let it distract you from taking the correct documents - moral support is one thing but the most important thing is to concentrate on the requirements...

I think the worst aspect of the interview is boredom and being sent hither and thither rather than the need for emotional support... but that is with hindsight; at the time it is fear of the unknown - but it's ok really as long as you have got all your bits and bobs with you and you know your hither from your thither and your bobs from your bits ....
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-24 11:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBest mail service to USA ?

just got a quote for a parcel from fedex (they don't distinguish parcel/letter)

8 inches by 11 inches by 1 inch weighing 1 pound max is £56 cheapest and £75 quick

I don't want to pay more than £20 for a letter so i guess I am stuck with 'airsure' from royal mail which drifts across on a large red balloon with a label which says 'if found, please send to USCIS Nebraska' as far as I can tell


oh well back to my book on defeating defeatism and how to think more positively



Do you have any family or friends here in the USA? If so, perhaps you can send the documents ahead of time to the USA, and then when the time comes for the paper work to be sent to NVC your family/friend can send it from here. It costs me $14 to send my paperwork to NVC by the US postal services for next day delivery... just a thought..


Thats good thinking - we have sent the I-130 and expecting the NOA1 in the next week or two - then I guess the next paperwork will be from new hampshire..

I reckon we could send the visa forms and payments to Carolyn's mother but she would have to date them etc when the time comes and she isnt that young any more and might do some stuff wrongly... and when it comes to barcodes etc.... nope she couldn't handle that stuff...

I will definitely have a look at what could be done with no input from her mother - its worth thinking about - especially in the absence of a reliable mail service from the UK to USA for less than £50
Perhaps we should set up a delivery service for US letters ! Stick em all in 1 parcel and fedex it and separate them and mail them at the other end ? hum ???? We could do it for about £3 a letter and guarantee 5 days I bet. If only...
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-24 12:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBest mail service to USA ?
just got a quote for a parcel from fedex (they don't distinguish parcel/letter)

8 inches by 11 inches by 1 inch weighing 1 pound max is £56 cheapest and £75 quick

I don't want to pay more than £20 for a letter so i guess I am stuck with 'airsure' from royal mail which drifts across on a large red balloon with a label which says 'if found, please send to USCIS Nebraska' as far as I can tell


oh well back to my book on defeating defeatism and how to think more positively
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-24 10:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBest mail service to USA ?
do fedex /dhl etc do letters or is it just parcels ?

still messing around on their sites but it looks as if they are really business parcels service...

as our letters are 500 grams or so max I wondered whether there is a reliable letter service for say 10 or 20 pounds sterling....

I will email em..

When I send a normal letter to the usa it's about £1 gbp and arrives in 5 days - when I use 'airsure' it costs 10 pounds and takes 10 days - seems the more you pay the less reliable it is - but you can track royal mail 'airsure' two weeks later (after their tea break ?)

If there was a way to contact USCIS and make sure they received stuff I would do that but I cant call the 1-800 number from outside the USA so that wont work

i will report back if i find a way to do this...
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-24 10:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBest mail service to USA ?
aahh thanks i tried fedex site but it looks as if its just for parcels

i put in 1 pound weight and it quoted 60 quid or something

I will try again but royal mail are useless
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-24 10:17:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBest mail service to USA ?
sent I-130 to Nebraska 9th January by Royal Mail super dooper fast recorded service (airsure) - letter cost 8 quid..

just got confirmation from royal mail that it arrived on the 19th !

10 days for the very fastest service !

Does anyone know a better service as we will have lots of back and forth with new hampshire later as we are doing it all from the UK...

thanks alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-24 06:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCONFLICT!!!pls help!
I agree that they never reply, but why not send it for peace of mind that you have done all you can - keep it very short as if they can misunderstand, they will...

I have found out that a lot of the things we worry about don't become an issue - nobody at USCIS is doing any thinking - just ticking boxes and shoving paper...

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-25 03:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJames' shortcuts - well one piece
yes I will use them...I just have to check that cover sheets/forms etc haven't changed 3 month from now - but thanks to VJ people I will be able to do that.... I could end up chopping 20 days+ off the 230 and a similar chunk off the 3032 ...

Aussiewench reckons the beneficiary (visa applicant) part is the most laborious so might let the Affidavit of support part go the long way round and let them meet together on the same date ! (jeez what an optimist)

Nobody has come on here saying that the short cuts messed up their application and threw them back weeks - on the contrary, lots and lots of people have used them and report no problem..

so yes i am convinced..

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-25 12:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJames' shortcuts - well one piece
james shortcuts

http://www.visajourn...p?showtopic=117
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-25 12:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJames' shortcuts - well one piece
yes sounds good - think i will practice with some with bar codes using last years ref numbers then do it for real in 3 months or so - 3 month to NOA2 on an IR1 would be very nice ...yes I will definitely do it - I thought at first sight that the short cuts were meant for people with a US based spouse/helper but I can see it will help me a lot too as the time from generation to actual dispatch plus mailing to the UK may be say 20 days -ish ......

Looks like the longest bit is the wait to interview in London which is taking ages - I got an interview in about 10 days when I did KI as i got my medical etc early - (I was a worrier/optimizer back then) but they have stopped that now...

Although I want to enter on November 5th to get an unconditional green card, I want to cut the time to visa down so i can ship my stuff and sell my house etc and I don't want to do that until I get my mits on the visa

ok thanks for the info - the time from generation to actual receipt of the 230 is an interesting statistic

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-25 12:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJames' shortcuts - well one piece

The ausssiewench post about shortcuts was super dooper and I can actually understand it...

My commiserations to her that her brain works like mine or vice versa


I am a bit apprehensive of using the full thing with bar codes etc as we have nobody in the states we can easily ask to do any of it......

I will certainly try and get the DS 3032 (name that agent form ) done by email which should save at least 10 days mail time each way and perhaps a few days preparation time at NVC too...

Question, if I wait for the I-230 and do it the slow way, what is the time cost >>>


A: from the time they say it is being sent on the answer line , to actual dispatch day - I guess at a week ?

B: mail time to UK - how long is their snail mail ? I guess at 10 days ?

I guess A+B + 10 days for royal mail to send back to new hampshire from UK is the total time and if I deduct time from relative sending in the form from somewhere in the US to new Hampshire (1 day fast mail) then that is the total saving for the James' short cut on the I-230....

are the guesses for A and B realistic ?

thanks alan


The only thing you would be waiting for with the DS230 packet is going to be the bar code cover sheet. What I did was make a photocopy of the AOS cover sheet before sending it.. dowloaded the bar code cover sheet from the shortcut you referenced and deleted the bar code and the case number and printed that off. Then I cut the bar code cover sheet from the AOS and overlayed it on to the DS230 coversheet and photocopied that.. to have a final DS230 barcode cover sheet.. with that I sent of the DS230 packet before it arrived.. by the way, I still have not received my offical DS230 packet from the NVC yet and I'm in the USA.

good luck


ok so its 10 days since your 230 was generated and you are in the US and you haven't got it yet - so it will be at least 15 days to arrive in the UK (from generation time) and possibly a week or two more than that...

I know James' shortcuts were supposed to work with a friend/relative/spouse in the US mailing the form, but it looks as though directly sending it from the UK (once generation is confirmed) , is still going to save weeks..

ok question --- if you send your 'own' 230, will you be able to call them and confirm it has been received - if you use a courier then you will know it has arrived, but how do you know it's acceptable ? is the only was to wait for an rfe if you mess up the bar code etc or can you ask about it's progress/acceptability once it is received ?

This lot is a worrier's dream come true !

thanks alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-25 11:41:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJames' shortcuts - well one piece
The ausssiewench post about shortcuts was super dooper and I can actually understand it...

My commiserations to her that her brain works like mine or vice versa


I am a bit apprehensive of using the full thing with bar codes etc as we have nobody in the states we can easily ask to do any of it......

I will certainly try and get the DS 3032 (name that agent form ) done by email which should save at least 10 days mail time each way and perhaps a few days preparation time at NVC too...

Question, if I wait for the I-230 and do it the slow way, what is the time cost >>>


A: from the time they say it is being sent on the answer line , to actual dispatch day - I guess at a week ?

B: mail time to UK - how long is their snail mail ? I guess at 10 days ?

I guess A+B + 10 days for royal mail to send back to new hampshire from UK is the total time and if I deduct time from relative sending in the form from somewhere in the US to new Hampshire (1 day fast mail) then that is the total saving for the James' short cut on the I-230....

are the guesses for A and B realistic ?

thanks alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-25 10:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedurescontacting USCIS from abroad

Use Skype to call 800 numbers in the US. That's what I did! Good luck!


really !!!! I will try it - good thinking - thank you-alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-26 10:17:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedurescontacting USCIS from abroad
Building my file up and I still don't know how to contact USCIS from here in the UK if I need to:

The 1-800 number is only for the USA

thought I saw an overseas number somewhere last year...

We are filing direct with Nebraska as the London Embassy won't touch it for US Citizens who are resident in the UK for less than 2 years...

Does anyone know the number or is it necessary to go through London even though they are not handling the case ?

I reckon the USCIS don't accept emails - nor do they answer letters

thanks alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-25 13:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDo you have to apply from within the United States?
My wife is the USC and is resident here with me in the UK - however her 'domicile' is the US because she regards herself as not having absented herself forever from the US - she has bank accounts/credit cards/pension etc and even furniture in storage in the US

She will be my sponsor although we have enough capital to satisfy the Affidavit even if she were not working - she isn't 'resident' in the US but she is 'domiciled' in the US

Domicile is different to residency

for instance, if i am resident in the US for say 5 years when I die, the UK tax people will try and get inheritance tax by saying I am 'domiciled' in the UK if I still own property and have pension/bank accounts in the UK

establishing 'domicile' is easier than un-establishing it !
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-26 11:31:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 Signed by a Notary
good job it doesn't need to be - in the US every tom ####### and Harriet is a notary..

Here in the UK, in Leeds for instance (population circa 750,000 in the outer city and the 2nd financial centre of the UK the 4th largest economy in the world), there are 2 notaries - they are high powered people, hard to get hold of and expensive...

my sponsor (USC wife) is in the UK although I will be providing capital of my own as the security - so if it was necessary it would be a top nasty !

good job it isn't

alan..
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-01-26 09:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresUSCIS processing time
aah thanks for that - couldn't find reference to that on the USCIS site - it said we had to send to Nebraska as that was Carolyn's last place of residence in the US - presumably that is the right thing to do in the first instance and they will send it on - does the place they send it to depend on the residence or do they just spread the workload nowadays ? thanks
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-01 15:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresUSCIS processing time
Jeez this sounds dumb but its all changed since I did K1...

How do I track the USCIS 'now processing' date for Nebraska I-130 ?

on the USCIS Nebraska timeline site it doesn't even list Nebraska I-130 but on Vermont or California it does list that type but the dates are way back in early 2006 whereas Visa journey time lines suggest 3 to 4 months...


as the petitioner and beneficiary both live in the UK in our case, does USCIS send NOA1 by DHL ? we have a DHL package to collect and I am wondering if this is it ? I know just collect it ! - i will collect it and see - but I just wondered....

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-01 14:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresis all the pinned stuff out of date ?

UPDATE!!!!

just received a DHL pack - the application has been to Nebraska and they sent it to California and California has sent in back to us in the UK to say file in LONDON !!!!

the absolute ROTTERS !

London said file in Nebraska !! and so we have it - full circle

and I know people who have filed in London and London then send it back saying you are a conditional UK resident so file it at the service centre covering your last place of residence in the US !!!

These people are just horrible - they have costs us weeks and money and angst - what is the matter with them ? why couldn't California send it to London ? why just throw it back at us ?

I am in despair now and I can see it going round and round and round forever-

anyway I have sent it to London - perhaps some bright spark there might be able to get us off this bureaucratic merry-go-round !!!

alan

ps thanks for seeing the typo mags

If you put a UK address, the SC did what they were supposed to do with your file.
But you didn't want to 'try' filing in London... looks like you get your chance now!

Don't think it's fair to put the blame square on them.. I hope you included ample proof of the USC's genuine residence in the UK?


So why don't you think it's fair of me to put the blame on the USCIS ? My wife is a USC lawfully resident in the UK - she wrote a very full covering letter explaining that with copies of her UK 'green card'. We received an email from the London embassy saying conditional residents should file in the US. We sent a very full file with full explanations to Nebraska as directed. So how come you are getting on our case saying it's our fault (my fault) ???

Why couldn't the USCIS send it internal mail California > London if thats where it should be filed ?

Are you on the payroll at USCIS or something ? You seem to be talking down to us as though all this is easy and the correct path is obvious and we are lacking in brain cells.. at the same time you don't seem to know anything definitive yourself so don't be so condescending eh ?

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-02 12:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresis all the pinned stuff out of date ?
Don't worry about a US address for the purpose of domicile on the support form at the visa stage as that seems easily satisfied even if you are not US resident at the time..

Obviously I am the worst person in the world to ask where to file but at least if you file in London they will bounce it back to you or send it on quickly so you wont lose all the weeks that we have by following their instructions to file in the US...

Vjourney is mostly for spouses based in the US and it seems to get tricky when the USC is based overseas and all this DCF junk has thrown everything up in the air

I will email the embassy although they are usually very non committal - if I get a meaningful answer I will put a reply on here...

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-02 11:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresis all the pinned stuff out of date ?
UPDATE!!!!

just received a DHL pack - the application has been to Nebraska and they sent it to California and California has sent in back to us in the UK to say file in LONDON !!!!

the absolute ROTTERS !

London said file in Nebraska !! and so we have it - full circle

and I know people who have filed in London and London then send it back saying you are a conditional UK resident so file it at the service centre covering your last place of residence in the US !!!

These people are just horrible - they have costs us weeks and money and angst - what is the matter with them ? why couldn't California send it to London ? why just throw it back at us ?

I am in despair now and I can see it going round and round and round forever-

anyway I have sent it to London - perhaps some bright spark there might be able to get us off this bureaucratic merry-go-round !!!

alan

ps thanks for seeing the typo mags
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-02 10:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresis all the pinned stuff out of date ?
I did k1 in 2005 and I am doing I-130 now...

Seems the I-130's are now done in Vermont or California but I cant find the USCIS info that explains this and the VJ guides too don't seem to refer to it...

as we are both in the UK, we were told that we had to file with the Service Center covering last place of residence which is Wisconsin therefore Nebraska..

Were we right to do that or should we have filed direct with Vermont/California

how do I find out which office covers which areas ?

We haven't had an NOA1 and I am beginning to expect Nebraska to eventually just send it all back or trash the application altogether as it doesn't comply with some technicality..

It was a world of confusion in 1995 but with the DCF changes thing as well it seems a huge quagmire just now... I thought I was an old hand at this and it would be a piece of cake, but I can't get my first foot on the ladder at the moment as it has all changed whilst the USCIS and VJ seem to be lagging in their pinned info..


alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-02 09:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedureswedding ring neccesary for the interview?
I borrowed an ear ring from the security guard and used a hollowed out set of bag pipes for the documents ..

They smelled a bit after the fish and chips in there but he was fine about it...
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-05 13:03:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresLondon USCIS rejects our I-130

What a viscious cycle! Makes me less hopeful for my own I-130 I'm going to send to London, but it sounds like it's best to start there first anyway.

Absolutely ! I don't know what to recommend that you say - if it comes back to you from London saying file in the US, it will only be a few days as compared to the weeks if it does a tour of the US - and they might just forward it to the US for you

If London does not accept DCF, and if they send it back to you rather than forwarding to the USCIS in the US, for heavens sake put a short punchy covering letter in when you send it to the US saying that you have already filed in London UK and make sure London's rejection letter is at the front - It MIGHT, I say MIGHT, stop them putting it on the carousel of despair (perhaps I am being over eloquent)

Those of us who are together in the foreign country do not have as much to moan about as those who are split up by this bumbling incompetence - I keep telling myself that...

ok come on NOA1 - that precious document which is so easy for most and so hard for us.

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-07 07:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresLondon USCIS rejects our I-130
I-130

First London USCIS says file in Nebraska .
We file in Nebraska
Nebraska sends it to California
California sends it back to us DHL courier saying file in London
We file in London

Letter from USCIS London today says Carolyn has been here since October 2006, she has a UK green card, she has a job in the UK, a car and bank accounts and she has no house in the USA - however they regard her as being a US resident as she has been in the UK less than 2 years. They are sending the application (a very well traveled application ) back to the Nebraska which is where it set off ...


Hold on for the mystery tour !

I am hoping that the USCIS London cover sheet might help California to NOA1 it and not send it back to us but would you bet on it ? If so there are some Enron shares I would like to sell you....



Alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-07 06:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNot quite sure if this has happened to anyone before!!!
You have my sympathy - we can't even get NOA1 after 6 weeks trying and an application that has traveled 20 thousand miles (it's a bit crumpled).. nobody will talk to us and when they do its all wrong and wastes another month..

We haven't even started yet really so the rest of the process will be hell on earth
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-21 13:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWhat's the record time to NOA 1 ?
I must admit I have never heard of a 'weekly code' - I thought that was sonmething to do with natural birth control - however we have now had a reply which says it was only sent London - Nebraska 6th Feb so we should not expect a reply by this stage--...

We have rented a house and are settling on for perhaps a year at least before the visa happens....Carolyn has her UK residency (which took 20 minutes in chicago), so at least we wont be parted...

thanks for the tip though - thats useful

alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-27 06:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWhat's the record time to NOA 1 ?
24th feb and the check isn't cashed yet - 6 weeks into this and sinking fast as we can't get to NOA1 stage

London have me on their 'don't talk to them' list and have ignored 2 emails..

at what stage do we assume the whole application is lost between London> Nebraska>California ?


I know they lose files as I have seen VJers have to start again after many many months

Without a ref number how can we follow up to see if it is lost or not ?

I really dont want to start going for US passport photos again and recreating the whole file but the USCIS seem to have us on a carousel and dont want to deal with this application...

has anyone any experience of NOA1 taking weeks and weeks ?
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-24 07:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWhat's the record time to NOA 1 ?

If your check is cashed, and you can obtain a copy of it, your case number should be on the back and you can use that to sign up on the USCIS website for tracking. Hope you hear something soon :)

Thank you that's a really valuable idea- Carolyn can call her bank in the US and check that out...

If it isn't cashed then I guess we are left with calling Nebraska as London will just say they sent it there...

However Nebraska will say they sent it to California - and California will say that without a reference number they cannot check it out

oh dear I am getting pessimistic... let's see what her banks says first....many thanks again

Alan
Captain OatesMaleEngland2007-02-18 12:47:00